The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President, Vladimir Putin in connection with war crimes allegations.
The court accuses him of war crimes, including the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
It alleges that the crimes were committed in Ukraine at least since February 24, 2022, when Russia commenced its full-fledged invasion.
Moscow has denied allegations of war crimes committed during the invasion.
The ICC has charged Mr. Putin with involvement in child deportation and says it has reasonable grounds to believe he committed the offenses himself as well as in collaboration with others.
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The court also stated that the Russian president failed to exercise his rights to prevent others from deporting children.
Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, is also wanted by the ICC.
According to a Russian foreign ministry official, the arrest warrants are meaningless.
“The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view,” Maria Zakharova said on Thursday when word of the warrants being issued emerged.
This is due to the fact that, despite the warrants, the ICC lacks the authority to arrest suspects and can only exercise jurisdiction inside nations that have signed the agreement that established the court.
Russia is not a signatory to that agreement – so it is unlikely either will be extradited.
